Nikola Tesla Wasn't God And Thomas Edison Wasn't The Devil

Alex Knapp
,
Forbes Staff
I write about the future of science, technology, and culture.

"It takes a thousand men to invent a telegraph, or a steam engine, or a phonograph, or a photograph, or a telephone or any other important thing—and the last man gets the credit and we forget the others. He added his little mite — that is all he did. These object lessons should teach us that ninety-nine parts of all things that proceed from the intellect are plagiarisms, pure and simple; and the lesson ought to make us modest. But nothing can do that." - Mark Twain

The Oatmeal is a fantastic comic that I recommend that you make a habit of reading. However, even the greatest can go astray, and I'm pained to admit that The Oatmealhas done so regarding someone I regard very highly, and that's Nikola Tesla. Alas, The Oatmeal has fallen prey to Tesla idolatry, confusing his genius for godhood and of course, setting up the now all-too-common 'Edison as Tesla's arch-villain' narrative.

There are quite a few errors and misconceptions about both Tesla and Edison in this comic. But they're errors that I've seen before and they are often repeated, so it's worth the time, I think, to address some of the big ones.

Tesla Didn't Invent Alternating Current And He Wasn't A Major Power In The War Of The Currents

Let's start with the first thing the comic says: "In a time when the majority of the world was still lit by candle power, an electrical system known as alternating current and to this day is what powers every home on the planet. Who do we have to thank for this invention that ushered humanity into a second industrial revolution? Nikola Tesla."

This is just wrong. Alternating current was developed in principle by Michael Faraday and in practice by Hippolyte Pixii in the early 19th century. Practical devices employing AC in the medical world were developed before Tesla was even born. Contemporaries of Tesla working for George Westinghouse developed practical methods of distributing AC power from power plants before Tesla came to work for Westinghouse. Tesla himself actually studied the use of AC in college - he had an electrical engineering degree. (For those interested, here's a nice, concise timeline of the development of alternating current.)

Now, did Tesla help refine AC? Yes. Did he make some key innovations that made it even more practical? Absolutely. There's no question about it. He had an intuitive understanding of electricity that I quite frankly envy. He could make it dance. But was he indispensable to getting AC in place as the dominant means of electric power transmission? Almost certainly not. George Westinghouse was the man who won the War of the Currents in the United States, and in Europe, AC won the wars almost before they started.

Most of what the Oatmeal comic says about Edison is true. Yes, Edison did put on public demonstrations where he electrocuted animals to show the dangers of alternating current. Yes, he fought tooth and nail for his belief that direct current was a better way to transmit electricity. He was wrong. But, you know, AC is more dangerous than DC if it's not handled properly. [Author's note: The note on the relative danger of AC and DC was wrong on my part. Thanks to my commenters for pointing that out.] Keep that in mind and consider this: could it be that Edison wasn't "a douchebag" in the Oatmeal's words? Is it possible - just possible - that Edison honestly believed that AC was dangerous and honestly did not think it should be used? Very rarely on the Internet is this possibility even considered. Because every narrative needs a villain, right?

And one more quick thing. It's worth pointing out that alternating current was superior to direct current when it comes to the transmission of electricity (though new technology is changing this). But as Alex Waller rightly points out in his critique of this Tesla comic:

The irony here is that the computer that the author used to draw this graphic runs on DC power. The author's cell phone also runs on DC power. In fact, if the author went around their house and looked at all the electronic devices (coffee maker, microwave oven, clock, television, laptop, stereo, etc.), they would notice that almost every single one requires a conversion from AC power to DC power before it can be used. This is because while alternating current is indeed great for long distance transmission of power...it's shit for powering electronics. So perhaps I could suggest a compromise: if Tesla is the Father of the Electric Age, then Edison is the Father of the Electronic Age.

Edison Made Light Bulbs Practical

Edison's signature invention is the light bulb. Of course, Edison didn't actually invent the incandescent bulb, something that the Oatmeal comic is quick to point out when it says "Edison didn't invent the light bulb, he improved upon the ideas of 22 other men who pioneered the light bulb before him. Edison simply figured out how to sell the light bulb."

But what the Oatmeal says is fallacious. First of all, I'd contend that nearly every invention in the engineering or sciences is an improvement on what has come before - such as Tesla's improvements to alternating current. That's what innovation is. It's a social process that occurs in a social context. As Robert Heinlein once said, "When railroading time comes you can railroad---but not before." In other words, inventions are made in the context of scientific and engineering understanding. Individuals move things forward - some faster than others - but in the end, the most intelligent person in the world can't invent the light bulb if the foundation for it isn't there.

Secondly, the comic doesn't appreciate why Edison was able to sell light bulbs. He was able to sell them because through a lot of work by both himself and the scientists and engineers who worked for him, he was able to develop a light bulb that was practical. Before Edison, incandescent bulbs were expensive and tended to burn out quickly. Edison fixed both of those problems. And many of those men who pioneered the light bulb before Edison, such as Joseph Swan, openly admired Edison's solution to a very tough engineering problem.